Third-year student Chirag Shah will never forget a Saturday morning during his research study at Clinica Tepati, a UC Davis-run clinic. A woman in the Diabetes Interest Group he helped coordinate announced she had been able to quit smoking, thanks to the group's support.
While not all undergraduates get such immediate and encouraging feedback, conducting research has become an integral part of education for all students, especially in science-based fields.
"Engaging in research is a great way to develop critical thinking and analytical skills," says Gail Martinez, assistant vice provost of Undergraduate Studies.
Shah, a major in neurobiology, physiology and behavior from Brea, Calif., will present preliminary data from the Diabetes Interest Group study at the 18th annual Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference on Saturday, April 21. More than 230 undergraduates in all academic fields will present research projects conducted under the supervision of a faculty member or professional in the field.
Shah's current clinical research with approximately 50 diabetes patients seeks to answer whether group care — seeing patients as a group rather than individually — can improve quality of care in an uninsured population. Since the study started six months ago, small groups of six to 12 patients meet every Saturday with a dietician, nutritionist or other medical personnel to share tips, information and suggestions.
"I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity," says Shah, who also presented at last year's conference and received a President's Undergraduate Fellowship for that research. "The project has allowed us to provide cutting-edge health care to uninsured patients. After only a few months, we're already seeing positive results."
Experience highly popular
Based on alumni surveys, approximately 52 percent of UC Davis students engage in research at some point during their undergraduate career. Within an academic year, about 4,500 students receive course credit for research, and an additional 1,144 students receive transcript notation. Martinez says many other students participate in research without unit compensation or transcript notation; some of these are in paid employment in the laboratories.
Due to the accessibility of undergraduate research at UC Davis, Martinez says a student's application for graduate school in the sciences actually seems peculiar if he or she doesn't have this experience.
"Being involved in research is at their fingertips," Martinez says. "The experience is much more than building a resume — students report finding collegiality among like-minded people and a community of shared interests."
Third-year student Chirag Shah, left, who conducted research at Clinica Tepati, demonstrates how vital signs are taken with his research partner Hayley Rousek, a biochemistry major. (Karin Higgins/UC Davis)
Faculty mentoring
Having the support of others can make all the difference for an undergraduate yearning to delve into an area of interest, and that's where faculty members play a huge role. Since his arrival at UC Davis in 1987, Krishnan Nambiar, associate professor of chemistry, has mentored an average of 25 to 30 undergraduates in his lab each year.
"We're doing the best we can to give them the education to take them far into the future," says Nambiar, who received the Distinguished Teaching Award in 2004 from the Academic Senate and the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research in 2005.
Research is the best way to get hands-on experience, he says. Working in the lab is a different environment than learning in the classroom and gives students the chance to see if they are a good fit for the rigorous demands of research before they enter a graduate program.
How to get involved
Students should talk to faculty members and others in their field to find out about research opportunities, says Tammy Hoyer, assistant director of Advising Services. But doing research is only the first step — students should also present the work at conferences.
"Conferences provide terrific exposure and contacts for the future, and often provide publication of your work in their proceedings," Hoyer says.
Hoyer encourages publication. A student already involved in research may have the chance to help a professor write a research article and earn a spot as co-author. UC Davis also has a number of research journals seeking contributions for publication, including Explorations, an undergraduate research journal supported by Advising Services and published by the Office of the Provost.
A number of programs help undergraduates with basic research expenses and/or stipend support. They may provide as much as $2,000 toward direct costs, and some are specially earmarked for particular fields of study or, in the case of federally funded programs, students from traditionally underrepresented groups.
Top of page
Return to previous page